The Department of Community Living selected individual housing lottery numbers for rising sophomores (Class of 2022) and upperclassmen (Classes of 2020 and 2021) during a closed meeting last Wednesday. In attendance were Student Union President Hannah Brown ’19, Ridgewood Quad Senator Leigh Salomon ’19 and Student Union Director of Academic Affairs Brandon Stanaway ’19, as well as representatives from both campus newspapers. Lottery numbers will be released to the student body on Wednesday.

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Timothy Touchette said that requests for upperclassman housing had increased by 200 to 300 applications since last year. According to Touchette, meetings with senior DCL staff and student representatives to make the housing process more transparent began last year. 

Touchette highlighted a number of changes since last year, including stiffer penalties on those who withdraw from the housing process after May 1. He did not specify a dollar amount but said that the penalties for withdrawal would get harsher in 25 percent increments based on the period when the student cancels their contract. He compared the system to a landlord collecting first and last month’s rent in an off-campus lease. Touchette said the new policy was in the contract for all on-campus living spaces this year but did not impact housing enrollment. 

Touchette also told the Justice that rising sophomores would no longer be able to pick single rooms in Massell and North Quads as they had in previous years. An online document from DCL published Feb. 13 stated that a limited number of singles in Massell and North Quads would be available to rising sophomores for the upcoming year. Touchette also noted that Skyline’s South Tower would become upperclassmen housing, while the North Tower will be set aside for rising sophomores. 

DCL staff released the rising sophomore housing numbers without showing meeting attendees the associated names due to student privacy concerns. The last number given out in that portion of the lottery was 1065. The students in that lottery can pick between Skyline’s North Tower, East Quad, the Village, Rosenthal Quad, 567 South Street and the Charles River Apartments. 

Further data from the meeting is shown in the graphic.